Bike Stolen from Tesco - Duty of care?

[jamienottm]

Hi, I was wondering if someone could give me some advice.

 

Last friday I popped into the local tescos for literally 5 minutes. It was early afternoon, I parked and locked my bike (with a level 7 lock) in the designated bike racks just outside of the front entrance.

 

The police got involved and to cut a long story short it turns out that the camera which was covering the bike racks was only on live feed and not record hampering any chance of identifying the thieves.

 

The policeman who is involved said that I have a possible civil case for compensation due to the fact that the CCTV wasn't recording and there were also no liability signs near the bike rack (i.e. leave your bike here at your own risk). The car park and other bike rack at the rear entrance of the store has recording CCTV but not at the front.

 

I know Tescos are going to argue the toss, but I feel that they could have made it more secure. To make matters worse I can't claim on my house insurance due to a burglary last year and my excess being worth more than the bike!

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

 

Thanks